Day: January 25, 2005

PESHAWAR, January 25,2005: The Peshawar High Court on Monday granted bail to two men in a honour-related murder case. The Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court , Mr Justice Nasirul Mulk, observed that the husband, Ghaniur Rehman, and his uncle Habibur Rehman were not directly charged with killing Ms Mehjabeen.

The woman was killed on Dec 1, 2004, allegedly by her brothers- in-law when a court bailiff and police visited their residence to recover the woman on the directives of the additional district and sessions judge in Takhtbhai (Mardan). An FIR was registered with the Lundh Khwar police station in the Mardan district.

Aged 45, Ms Mehjabeen was the mother of five and was married to Ghaniur Rehman about 20 years ago. Her son Naveed, 15, has stated before the police that his mother had been killed by his uncle Ashraf (brother of his father) and Fazal Noor (cousin of his father).

Advocate Muhammad Salim appeared for the two petitioners and argued that they were not directly charged in the case. He contended that witnesses had named other people for the commission of the offence. He said that the accused named in the FIR were still at large.

Advocate Shahnawaz Khan appeared for the state and contended that the accused Ghaniur Rehman was the major source of conflict. He said Mr Ghani was having a monetary dispute in Rawalpindi with a person named Qeemat Khan.

Mr Khan stated that because of this the family had moved to Takhtbhai and the family members had charged Mehjabeen with having illicit relations with Qeemat Khan and at her behest Qeemat Khan had fired at Ghaniur Rehman.

In his statement, the father of the deceased woman said that his daughter had been confined to a room by her in-laws and she was not allowed to meet even her children.

He stated that he had filed a habeas corpus petition before the additional district and sessions judge at Takhtbhai and the court had ordered the bailiff to visit the residence of woman’s husband to recover her.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/25/2005

KARACHI, January 25,2005: Sindh Minister for Women’s Development Dr Saeeda Malik has said that her ministry has prepared a “Gender Reform Action

Plan” (GRAP), aimed at ameliorating the lot of the women and empower them in every walk of life. She said that the comprehensive plan would include institutional reforms, political reforms, public sector employment quota,

Women’s education, and reform, and representation in the Sindh Public Service Commission etc., which would change the destiny of the women of Sindh. The draft of the plan was approved last year. She said the government was striving to empower women financially, particularly in the rural areas of the province.

She said this while talking to a group of newsmen at her office. The first, two projects have been approved for skill development of women-to set up sales and display centres and resources centres with a view to providing them with a platform for gaining economic independence, the minister said. She

said the government was concerned about providing women with equal opportunities in earning their livelihood with dignity. She said that material would be provided to these skilled rural women for making handicrafts which they could sell in the Bachaat Bazaars, adding that those who had no money would be provided free stalls at these bazaars.

Dr Saeeda Malik said that talks were under way with the First Women’s Bank to facilitate the women in handling their business affairs. She said that to encourage the girl child enrollment in the schools, there is an incentive of a stipend of Rs200 per child plus free textbooks and uniforms were being distributed in the poorest districts of Thatta, Badin, and Mirpurkhas under the “Tawanaa Pakistan” Scheme funded by the Baitul Mal.

Dr Malik said that children were also provided with a meal a day to take care of their nutritional needs, adding that they were given iron in the multi-vitamin supplement if needed. “How could the status of women improve when they are kept out of the decision-making process”, she said.

About rehabilitation of women in jails, she said a Women’s Prisoners and Jail Committee, comprising government functionaries, members of the legislatures, and representatives of NGOs had already been constituted with certain terms of reference.

She said the committee was aimed at establiishing linkages between Home Department, Jail Administration, and the Human Rights agencies working in the field, to provide legal aid and protection to the prisoners, especially the innocent. She said that to monitor the condition of Jails, especially in terms of diet, doctors, healthcare provided to them during imprisonment, to improve existing facilities mainly providing to them, educational/skill-training activities.

She said that her ministry had established a women’s complaint centre in the secretariat where lawyers, social workers, and doctors will be available. They will be the facilitators to lodge the FIRs of the aggrieved women. She said that one complaint centre is already working in Artillery Maidan Police Station. The minister said that government had approved a “Family Protection Project” under which crisis and rehabilitation resource centres would be set up.
Source: The News
Date:1/25/2005